Kelly Clarkson has revealed she spent the night of the 2006 Grammy Awards torn up inside because she was told she had cancer.
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Clarkson, now 34, won her first set of Grammy awards that year but had mixed emotions because doctors informed her that morning she had cancer, Billboard reported. However, it turns out she was misdiagnosed.
"Well, not many people know this -- not to be a Debbie Downer -- but I was told that morning that I had cancerous results for something," the first-season American Idol winner told Billboard Pop Shop Podcast in an episode that aired on Tuesday.
"Here's the horrible part: I went the whole day crying. They redid my makeup, like, four times because I was like, 'Wow, so young.' I was just completely freaking out. Then when I won, I thought, 'Oh, my God. This is like God giving me one more thing before something horrible happens.'"
In 2006, Clarkson won Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for "Since U Been Gone" and Best Pop Vocal Album for Breakaway, so there was a lot to celebrate. She was also set to perform her ballad "Because of You" live onstage at the awards show.
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Clarkson cried when accepting her award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, and now it makes more sense as to why she was so emotional.
"Um... oh, God! You know I'm terrible at speaking when I cry, so sorry!" said Clarkson, who beat out icons like Stevie Wonder and Alicia Keys.
"Thank you so much. Ah! OK. Thank you to everybody that has supported me this year, including my record label and my management... Thank you to my mom. Thank you so much, Mom. I'm sorry I'm crying again on national television! Thank you to the fans. Thank you to everyone that worked on my record. Yikes! Just thank you so much. You have no idea what this means to me. Thank you so much!"
Clarkson's mind was put at ease the following morning when a doctor called her to say a mistake had been made -- that she was cancer free and the diagnosis was a mix-up.
"I was like, 'You completely ruined my entire [experience].' The first time for an artist -- as a kid watching the Grammys, that was a big dream!" Clarkson said of her reaction to the doctor's revelation.
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"It was kind of the worst/greatest day. And the next day was also the worst/greatest day because I wanted to punch someone. I was like, 'Who mixes up results? Why wouldn't you test again?' It was very much a roller coaster ride, that day, for me. So, it's kind of unfortunate, but a lot of the moments got stolen from that mishap. But hey, I didn't have cancer!"
The 59th Annual Grammy Awards are coming up this weekend on Sunday, February 12 at 8PM ET/PT on CBS, and Clarkson is nominated for Best Pop Solo Performance for "Piece by Piece" against Beyonce for "Hold Up," Adele for "Hello," Justin Bieber for "Love Yourself," and Ariana Grande for "Dangerous Woman."
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski